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AIBU?

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Original poster

Captain Tom - What's the fuss about?

264 replies

scampichips · 29/04/2020 13:36

Okay I am not knocking Captain Tom at all, he is a brilliant brilliant man.

Although AIBU to wonder why our country has gone bananas over him? All he did was walk laps of his garden, people fundraise everyday and do a lot more! Think of all the marathon runners!

Whenever he is interviewed I think he also seems a bit confused why everyone is making so much fuss too!

I just don't get why our country has become obsessed with him??!

OP posts:
TabbyMumz · 02/05/2020 11:01

derxa

"Well you will never know, because I dont go charitable things to raise my profile, I keep quiet about it.Like Smashie and Nicey"
Who is Smashie and nicey?"

TabbyMumz · 02/05/2020 11:03

"It was a lovely gesture, but I thought it was ridiculous when people were calling for him to be knighted."

They have given him an honorary coloneleship or something

Divebar · 02/05/2020 11:11

I despair of people who will find something to complain in absolutely everything. He intended to raise £1000.... he didn’t need to even do that. People go through their lives doing the very bare minimum for society - and this chaps already been through WW2. I think some of you should be embarrassed at your shitty attitudes.

brassbrass · 02/05/2020 11:20

People go through their lives doing the very bare minimum for society bollocks generalisation.

That isn't my experience of the communities I'm a part of. Primary school, secondary school, our neighbourhood, my colleagues etc. Everyone I know in these groups has always done their bit 🙄 in fact I'd struggle to point out someone who wasn't.

I think it was media exploitation and manipulation. A distraction to keep people's minds off of asking serious questions and keep them contained.

Divebar · 02/05/2020 11:27

Yes let me correct my statement : some people go through life doing the very bare minimum for society. Other people just enjoy pissing over other people’s efforts as evidenced by some people on this thread.

brassbrass · 02/05/2020 11:35

Saying you don't buy in to the hype is not pissing on the effort. Good for Tom and all that but I don't think he's a saint. He's an old man that got caught up in someone else's agenda.

There's a 90 year old woman doing similar. She's raised quite a bit but she isn't getting anything like the publicity Tom got.

If your bubble is so fragile that you can't accept other people's views then you should think about what you're so scared of. I don't mind that you're a fan. It doesn't alter my world in anyway. But some of us questioning the hype has got some nasty responses. The language between the two sides has been very telling!

TabbyMumz · 02/05/2020 11:38

Threads are here for meaningful debate. I hate the bullying attitude that if someone queries or questions something that they are swore at, belittled, and all the other nonsense that arises. Noone has said anything bad about Captain Tom here, just said..."well hang on a minute, hes a very nice man, and its brilliant what hes done.. but..hes not a superstar saint etc...it was just circumstances.

We seem to go to two extremes recently....either someone or the nhs for example is suddenly a superstar saint .....and lo betide you anyone says different, or you are the scum of the earth, a bitch, or lower.....why cant we have normal nice people anymore? Most people in the nhs are normal people, going about their day, doing a good job, but no, now they are all saints etc.

Saw a picture this morning of a an ambulance with a pack of chocolate twirls on there, and a child stood in front. I hate this sort of thing. Lovely gesture, but it's not about the gesture, its there to scream "look at me", arent I marvellous .

TabbyMumz · 02/05/2020 11:43

Is it me or has anyone else noticed a sense of facebook creeping into mumsnet recently?

brassbrass · 02/05/2020 11:49

I think MN has been poor for quite a while even before lockdown.

TabbyMumz · 02/05/2020 11:53

Yes, if people dont agree with you, you used to accept meaningful debate or discussion, now you get called a bitch, h*e, wan*r!!

derxa · 02/05/2020 12:02

en.wiktionary.org/wiki/charidee

Original poster
scampichips · 02/05/2020 16:06

justgiving.com/fundraising/marjoriewest99

This lady is no less of a hero than Captain Tom. Yet why does the media only continue to focus all their efforts on him?!

I genuinely think that the world has gone a bit mad!

OP posts:
user127819 · 02/05/2020 16:25

It's the obsession with him that feels weird to me, nothing to do with the man himself who I'm sure is a lovely person and his fundraising efforts are admirable. So are the fundraising efforts of others, but they aren't being idolised and obsessed over. Nor are we idolising ICU nurses or scientists or those volunteering for vaccine trials. Nor are we idolising those who served in the war who are now dying from coronavirus, only this one man, and I really wonder why? I guess he was in the right place at the right time and the national mood was ripe for it.

Stellamboscha · 02/05/2020 19:56

User
Yes. At my DS university people are working 20 hour days (yes really) because they are scientists (the patronised geeks) who are working on the the antibody that will release us from this purgatory. They don't seek any publicity or acclaim but their patient relentless work on the background is the enduring success not a bit of celeb puff

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